WILDIARIES
These days it seems all too easy for anyone to jump in with a whale but if that ’ s all there is to it , you may as well throw a glass of water over your head while watching a doco , sitting in the comfort of your own living room .
It ’ s not the same as the powerful emotions you can feel when you have that once-in-a-lifetime close contact with a wild creature you ’ ve come to properly appreciate . Journey in the company of people who are deeply connected and it will offer you a window into their affections , a chance to see through different eyes , a world you wouldn ’ t otherwise comprehend . Like music , it ’ s a personal thing and the journey starts long before ‘ the moment ’.
Wildlife Adventures with Wildiaries and Outer Edge
by Simon Mustoe , Wildiaries founder
Remember the thrill of seeing your favourite live music on stage for the first time ? Chances are you owned albums , had read countless articles over the years ; and felt as though you knew them , because they spoke to you through rhythms , lyrics and harmonies , which you ’ d long come to love and understand . Now imagine how you ’ d feel encountering ‘ live ’, for the first time , a powerful wild Orangutan up close or swimming eye to eye with a gigantic singing Humpback Whale .
As you stare into the eye of a creature with a brain bigger than yours , that shares your basic DNA but also has the ability to instinctively navigate a planet ’ s oceans , you ’ d expect to be deeply moved ... and so you should . My first Humpback Whale encounter was while snorkelling at the surface with a film camera . I ’ d recently learnt to dive and was mesmerised by this 10-tonne animal ’ s buoyancy control , as it eyed me and drifted upwards and sideways , in my direction .
The whale came to a halt metres away and looked straight at me ... I choked up and was overcome with a flush of emotion , hidden , thankfully , by being face down in cool water . There are those who see encounters with wildlife as a moment - those who would go , just to be able to say they ’ d done this . I ’ ve dived with sharks , tracked Nepalese man-eating Tigers on foot , bush-camped alone in remote forests in Madagascar , woken to the eerie calls of Indris and nearly been swept down waterfalls , in pursuit of rare monkeys in Indonesia . Though despite thinking I could maintain a cool demeanour , my whale encounter was surprisingly overwhelming , because I ’ d been building to this moment all my life . I know enough about wildlife not to take any experience for granted .
Archaeologist Chris Carter even explains “ the standard visit to Maccu Pichu sees it without meaning . When we end up there , we ’ re not surprised by what we see . That ’ s not to say we ’ re not overwhelmed ... but we ’ ve learnt the whole story of Mayan civilisation . The effect is profound ”.
Veteran Orangutan conservationist Garry Sundin has raised almost a million dollars for their protection . “ Orangutans are thinking animals ” says Garry “... when you look into their eyes , there ’ s an understanding , an empathy more human than anything we can imagine ”.
“ They are the only tree-living ape and without them , we have no forest , no animals and we all suffer environmental problems - it doesn ’ t only affect Indonesians who live there , it affects us all ”, he says . Despite struggling against the odds , villagers that live in remote communities supported by Garry , have devoted their lives to conserving their priceless natural heritage . They endure intolerable heat and interminable wet . There are no government grants ; there ’ s no social welfare ; and no protection from international business syndicates destroying the forests nearby .
This should be reminder enough that any wildlife adventure is a privilege , not a right . Communities world-wide work tirelessly and enthusiastically , loving to share their insights with us . It ’ s a way to communicate with the outside world , to raise funds for their work and continue protection . But don ’ t we also simply owe it to ourselves to make the most of any experience ?
If you ’ ve ever seen live music you didn ’ t already grasp , you ’ d know it ’ s not half as sensational - in hindsight , you might even wish you could go back and do it all again . We strive for authentic , fulfilling travel experiences , so why wouldn ’ t we want the impact it has on us , to be just as genuine ? After all , the ultimate high is a buzz that ’ s life-altering and what is adventure , if it ’ s not the challenge to discover more about ourselves ?
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